Fremantle | top 10 things to do

3 April 2017Ed

Fremantle's Cappuccino Strip

Okay, so you have got 24 hours and you want to know what to see in Fremantle? The team at the Fremantle Visitor Centre meet and greet hundreds of thousands of people every year so they have a pretty good idea of what’s on everyone’s bucket list.

1. Cappuccino StripFrom the corner of Bannister Street to Parry Street, the street officially known as South Terrace is renowned as the ‘Cappuccino Strip’. It’s also the perfect place for a spot of people watching as you sit in the sunshine and enjoy the life and colour that is Fremantle.

3. Fremantle Arts CentreHoused within an iconic heritage building and beautiful grounds, Fremantle Arts Centre is one of Australia's leading arts organisations. The impressive convict built arts centre dates back to 1864 when it was the first purpose-built ‘lunatic’ asylum in Western Australia. It has since been a women’s home, a naval base during WW1 and WW2 and a technical college before opening as Fremantle Arts Centre in 1972.

4. Fremantle MarketsLocated at the southern end of the Cappuccino Strip, Fremantle Markets is housed in a grand Victorian-era heritage building that was constructed in 1902 and completely restored in 1975 and then added to the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places. It takes up almost the whole block with over 150 stalls under one roof.

5. Fremantle PrisonFremantle Prison is the largest and most intact convict built prison in Australia and is Western Australia’s only World Heritage Listed Building. It was continuously used as a place of incarceration for almost 140 years. The prison was decommissioned as a maximum-security gaol in 1991. Without doubt, the highlight of a visit to the prison is the entertaining tours conducted by experienced tour guides who bring the rich folklore and stories of the prison to life.

6. Little Creatures BreweryThe chubby cupid with his bow on the Little Creatures label is the symbol of this iconic Fremantle boutique brewery. Set on the waterfront at Fishing Boat Harbour, and in an old warehouse that was previously a crocodile farm, Little Creatures brews a variety of award winning craft beers and ales on-site.

7. WA Maritime MuseumLocated on Victoria Quay, the WA Maritime Museum includes galleries exploring Western Australia’s relationship with the sea, past, present and future. The museum is home to several true-life exhibitions; in one enormous space is the America’s Cup winning yacht, Australia II. Also inside the museum is Parry Endeavour, the yacht that carried Jon Sanders on his record-breaking triple circumnavigation of the globe. Next door is the Oberon-class Australian submarine HMAS Ovens.

8. Round HouseThe Round House is the oldest public building in Western Australia and stands at the western end of High Street on Arthur Head, a high promontory overlooking Bathers Beach and the Indian Ocean. The twelve-sided building was purpose-built as a gaol in 1831.

9. Rottnest IslandWhile technically not actually in Fremantle, O’Connor’s Landing on Victoria Quay, is the main departure point for a 25 minute ferry ride Perth’s favourite holiday destination of Rottnest Island.

10. Tall shipsIn 1606, the little Dutch ship Duyfken sailed from Indonesia in search of gold and spices to trade. Heading south-east, she explored and charted parts of present-day Papua New Guinea before making landfall on the northern coast of the Australian continent. The replica of the Duyfken (the name means 'Little Dove') has its home port in Fremantle and is berthed in Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour behind Little Creatures Brewery.Another tall ship berthed in Fremantle is Leeuwin II sail–training ship. The Leeuwin is a 55 metre-long barquentine with three masts that carry more than 810 square metres of sail berthed at Victoria Quay near the Maritime Museum.

Tell us what would be on your top 10 list of things to do in Fremantle!